Apparatus for positioning a hot top in an ingot mold



July 13, 1965 W w. z. GRocHQwsKl 3,193,887

APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING A HOT TOP IN AN INGOTMOLD Filed OCT.. 29, 1963 l s 1/ j I Q j 2 wmjzixazi, //d By L Attorney United States Patent O 3,193,887 APPARATUS FR PQSETIGNING A HQI TGI IN AN INf-@T MLD Waiter Z. Groehowslri, Chieago, Ill., assigner to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of New .Hersey Filed Get. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 319,795 1 Claim. (Cl. 22-31) This invention relates to appara-tus for positioning a hot top in an ingot mold and more particularly to positioning a rectangular exothermic hot top within `the rectangular opening of an ingot mold. While exothermic hot tops have various radvantages they have the disadvantage that they are rather brittle and if bumped against the mold while being inserted they will often break.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a guide suitable for positioning a hot top within an ingot mold in which the hot top is protected from bumping the sides of the mold.

These and lother objects will be more apparent after drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of .the guide of my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view taken on the line II-II of FIG- URE 1;

-FIGURE 3 is `a view showing one step in the practice of the method of my invention;

`FIGURE 4 shows a second step in the practice of the method;

FIGURE 5 shows 'a third step in .the practice of the method; and

FIGURE 6 shows a fourth step in the practice of the method.

lReferring more particularly to the drawings reference numeral 2 indicates an ingot mold having a vertical opening 4 therein. An exotherniic hot top 6 is so d-imensioned that it will fit within the opening 4. Two pairs of lugs 7 are provided for the hot top 6. A plurality of vertically spaced openings S are provided in the lugs 7 with pipes 9 being received in aligned openings 8 for supporting the hot top 6 on the mold 2. A guide 10 is provided for handling and positioning the hot top 6. The guide y1t) includes a rectangular body 12 made up of steel plates 14, 16, 18 and 2t) welded together with a plate 22 extending between land welded to plates 14 and 16 at .the center thereof. The plates 18 'and 20 have the same shape and their ends extend beyond .the plates 14 and f6. Each of the plates 18 and 20 has vertical shoulders 24 spaced apart xa distance slightly greater than the length of one side of the hot top 6. A downwardly extending linger 2S is provided on the outer ends of each `of the plates 18 and 20 with the fingers of each plate being spaced tapant a distance slightly greater than the short dimension of the ingot mold. It is preferred that the bottom of the fingers have a taper Sil thereon for a purpose which will appear later. A downwardly extending finger 32 is welded to each of the plates 18 and 2i) at the center thereof. A vertical shoulder 34 is provided on each finger 32 with the shoulders 34 being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the length of the long side of the -hot top 6. The fingers 32 are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the long dimension of the ingot mold 2. A taper 36 is preferably provided at the bottom of each linger 32. The plate 22 extends above the top of plates 14 and 16 and has a hole 38 therethrough for a FCIce purpose which will appear later. Corner braces 40 are preferably welded to each corner at the intersection of the plates 14, I6, 18 and 2i?. Similar braces 42 are preferably Welded to the plates 14, 16 and 22 where the plate 22 is connected to the plates 14 and I6. Similar braces d4 are preferably provided at the connection of the fingers 32 to the plates 1S and 20.

In carrying out the method of my invention the hot top 6 is positioned on a horizontal surface S with the pipes 9 in aligned openings S :and the guide lil lowered thereover. This is 4done by connecting a flexible member 46 Ithrough the hole 38 and to a crane hook 4S which is attached to a crane, not shown. Flexible members lSil Aare connected into one of Ithe openings 8 in each lug 7 and to the crane hook 43. The hot top 6 is then ready to be positioned with its sides engaging the shoulders 24 and 34 and the guide and hot top lare positioned above the ingot mold 2 and lowered onto the top of the mold 2 with the fingers 23 and 32 on the outside of the mold as shown in FIGURE 4. The tapers 30 and 36 facilitate the positioning of the guide lil on :the mold. After the hot top 6 is lowered to the position shown in FIGURE 5 the flexible members 5'@ 'are released from the hot top 6 and the guide le is then raised and removed as shown in FIGURE 6. The operation is then repeated with another hot top and mold.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A guide for positioning a rectangular hot top within the opening of an ingot mold comprisingfour plates connected to form a hollow rectangle, a central plate extending between two opposite plates lof said rectangle, means on said central plate adapted to receive a lifting member, two opposite plates of said rectangle having an extension portion extending beyond the other plates of said rectangle and having a downwardly extending finger thereon, the distance between the inside of said fingers of each plate being slightly greater than the length of one side of said mold, a generally vertical shoulder on each of said last named plates, .the distance between the said shoulders on each plate being slightly greater :than the length of one -si-de of said hot top, a central finger plate attached to each of sa-id last n-amed plates extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom, the distance between the inside of said last named fingers being slightly greater th-an the length of the other side of said mold, a generally vertical shoulder on each of said finger plates, the distance between said last named shoulders being slightly greater than the length of the other side of said hot top.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,663,058 12/53 LentZ et al 22-37 2,663,919 12/53 Lentz 22-f37 2,754,555 7/56 Young 22-31 2,940,791 6/ 60 Lorenson et al. 294-81 3,017,675 l/62 Young 22-31 3,024,919 3/ 62 Willison et al. 212-14 MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Primary Examiner.

MARCUS U. LYONS, Examiner'. 

